Been a Long Day
by liadela
Summary: It was a losing battle, trying to rebuild all the walls Patrick broke down over the course of their relationship, and the truth was that she didn't want to. One-shot. Patrick/Robin


Robin walked through the door slowly, relief giving way to exhaustion with each step. She was supposed to meet Terrell at the Metro Court tonight after her shift but cancelled at the last minute. They spent almost every free minute together working on the proposal, sometimes over stale coffee in the hospital cafeteria and sometimes over take-out in her living room. As much as she believed in their work, she would be lying if she said it wasn't also a very welcome distraction from everything going on around her.

The last week had been draining, her attempts to balance the role of mother, doctor, friend, and colleague becoming more difficult each day. Lisa was still trying to undermine her authority at the hospital, which was even more aggravating than usual considering how much time she had to spend there, first because of the proposal, Sam and then Brenda. Even with Brenda back, Robin knew that with Theo still out there this was far from over. She sighed, tossing her keys on the table and dropping her purse in a chair.

She trudged through the house toward Emma's room, pausing only momentarily to greet Mercedes before turning her full attention to Emma, already sleeping soundly in her crib. Mercedes gathered her things and said goodbye, letting herself out as Robin's attention stayed focused on her daughter. She smiled down at her, looking forward to sharing breakfast with her tomorrow before going back to the hospital.

Soon she left, not wanting to risk waking her, and headed to her bedroom. As much as she missed Emma, she was thankful that she was able to sleep through the night on her own now. She could really use some rest tonight.

It was Brenda who caught her and finally convinced her to go home, promising she would still be there tomorrow. Though it was the kind of promise no one can really make, she was right - there was really nothing else to do tonight except worry. She made sure to check on Sam before she left. She was still stable but they were no closer to figuring out what was wrong with her either. They would need to wait until morning for the additional test results to come in.

She hated waiting, especially when the people she cared about were in pain and looking to her for answers. Every time Sonny or Jason asked for an update she was haunted by the look in their eyes. She remembered exactly what it was like being on the other side, anxiously awaiting and dreading whatever Tony or Alan was about to say.

She picked up her pajamas and headed into the bathroom, pausing in front of the mirror.

After canceling on Terrell, she passed Patrick on her way to the elevator. Though he was in the middle of a consult, she felt his eyes on her and turned in time to catch the worried look he shot her way.

Now, as she stared at herself in the mirror, it was easy to see why Patrick may have been worried. The shadows beneath her eyes were a physical reminder of the last several days and the look in her eyes was an emotional one. No wonder it seemed Patrick was there every time she turned around.

He had been great. He was there for her whenever she needed him, whether it was a late dinner because she had forgotten to eat or a shoulder to lean on when life got a little too overwhelming. He'd been driving her home more often as well. The first time he said he needed to know she got home safe, but each night after was because Robin, despite her trepidation, needed him near. Some nights he walked her to the door and some nights he came in to say goodnight to Emma. But each night he left without a fight, making it clear he could respect her wishes while still being as close as she would let him.

She quickly changed and walked back into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room, realizing she had been naive on the drive home, telling herself she would get here and crawl right into bed. Sitting here now, confronted with the deafening silence of the house, she knew she wouldn't get much sleep tonight. As exhausted as she was, her mind was still racing. She almost grabbed a medical journal off the shelf but stopped, remembering a comment Patrick made early in their relationship about medical journals keeping her warm at night.

She was still debating whether or not to grab the medical journal or get back up and clean out the kitchen cabinets when she heard a knock on the door. Her heart sank to her stomach, remembering from years of being related to the police commissioner that a late night knock on the door usually meant bad news. She walked quickly, steeling herself for whatever she found on the other side. She opened the door, surprised to see Patrick.

"Hey. What are you doing here? Did something happen?" she asked, the relief she felt short-lived as she realized there could still be bad news.

"No, no. I saw you at the hospital. I heard you cancel on Terrell," he explained, the concern evident on his face. "You don't have to invite me in," he added quickly, "and I don't have to stay I just … wanted to know if you're ok."

Seeing him standing awkwardly in the doorway, his concern outweighing his uncertainty, Robin realized the tightrope she had forced him to walk. He was afraid to make a mistake, always searching for the right words to show her how much he wanted her back, while still trying to give her as much time and space as she needed.

She ventured a small smile and stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in. "I'm ok," she answered honestly. "I think with everything that has been happening … it just finally caught up to me."

He nodded and they stood in front of each other awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. She couldn't pinpoint what was making things so awkward tonight, her heart had been softening toward him for weeks and they had been making so much progress. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Is Emma sleeping?" he asked, gesturing toward her room. "Can I … ?"

"Yeah, definitely."

She followed him to Emma's room, lingering in the doorway, unable to keep the smile from gracing her face as she watched him smile down at his daughter, adjusting her blanket and moving her stuffed animal back within reach of her small hands. She knew how Patrick loved Emma but it still made her heart ache to think about it. She turned, giving him a moment alone to say goodnight.

As she walked back to the living room, she remembered telling Patrick that she didn't regret marrying him, at the very least because they had a beautiful daughter she would give the world for. She never doubted him when he said all he wanted was his family back. It's all she wanted, too.

When he came back, she was standing in the center of the living room again. They were quiet a few moments, eyes locked. Looking up at him she realized it was a losing battle, trying to rebuild all the walls Patrick broke down over the course of their relationship, and the truth was that she didn't want to. She knew what she wanted to say, but she just didn't know how.

"Thank you for coming over. I really appreciate it," she blurted out, trying to break the silence that settled over them.

"Yeah," Patrick said quickly glancing away, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Any time." He turned to the door.

She could see disappointment cloud his eyes as he turned and realized he thought she was dismissing him. It took only a few long strides before he had eliminated the distance between her and the door.

"Patrick?"

He stopped, his hand quickly letting go of the door as he turned back to face her. "Yeah?" he asked, unable to keep the hopeful look from his eyes.

Robin crossed the few feet separating them and stood in front of him, leaving only inches of space between them. She tilted her head slightly, thoughtfully, taking in the hopeful light in Patrick's eyes. She reached out and touched his face lightly, feeling an openness and acceptance that had been all too absent or fleeting in the past few months.

Patrick stilled, staring deeply into her eyes. He tentatively reached up, taking hold of her hand and trapping it against his cheek. She released a breath she didn't even know she was holding and moved even closer to him, raising her other hand to his chest. She dropped her gaze to stare at her hand, feeling his heart beat against her palm.

He moved her hand to his mouth and kissed it lightly, his eyes trained on her face trying to gauge her reaction. He waited and looked to her to make the next move.

She gently removed her hand from his and wrapped both arms around his neck. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and dropping his head to rest against her forehead.

"Robin, I - "

"I know." She barely got it out before pulling him down, their lips coming together.

Patrick kissed her desperately, wrapping his arms around her tighter. She responded by arching up toward him, pushing her body against him. A low groan vibrated from the back of his throat, the sound sending shivers down her spine. Her head fell back, exposing the soft skin of her neck to him. He dragged his lips across her cheek and down to her neck, his hands moving to her lower back.

Robin started to unbutton his shirt, refusing to think, refusing to fight, just wanting to get as close as possible. She pushed it off his shoulders, Patrick helping but never taking his lips from her skin. He backed her up, intending to fall on the couch with her but she stopped him.

"Bedroom," she said breathlessly.

He took a deep breath and nodded, taking her hand. Her heart pounded as he led her to the bedroom.

Crossing through the doorway, he stopped to look at her. She held his gaze, looking up at him though heavy lidded eyes. Neither of them spoke. Patrick brought his lips to hers slowly, gently brushing his lips over hers before sliding his tongue into her mouth. They took their time. She knew they were far from being fixed and that they had a long road still ahead of them. But now, she was ready to commit to trying. For Emma, for him, and most of all for her.


End file.
